The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Edinburgh City of Literature Home > A - Z > The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is the best known of Muriel Spark’s work. It was first published by The New Yorker Magazine but was published as a book in 1961. The story is set in 1930s Edinburgh where a group of six 10 year old girls at Marcia Blaine School for Girls are taught by Miss Jean Brodie, a Calvinist and fascist who believes in nurturing the best of the best. The story follows the girls as they progress through school, but Spark includes frequent flash forwards throughout, letting the reader know almost immediately that eventually one of Brodie’s girls will betray her trust, though this doesn’t happen until the end of the novel. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has been widely critically acclaimed since its release in 1961.

In 2005, it was ranked by Time Magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels from 1923-2005 and it was also chosen as one of the best English language novels of the 20th century by Modern Library. Spark’s style of writing in the novel was a departure from the conventional method as she uses flash-forwards to remove the element of suspense – the reader is told the fates of some of the characters within the first chapter. This was Spark’s way to focus the reader’s attention on why things happen, rather than concentrating on what would happen. The novel has biographical aspects to it, specifically the character of Jean Brodie who is said to be based on Spark’s teacher Christina Kay who taught her for two years at James Gillespie’s High School for Girls and encouraged her to become a writer. The school still exists, though it is now a comprehensive, and is located south of the meadows in the Marchmont area of Edinburgh. Great fictional characters from Scotland — The Official Gateway to Scotland Great fictional characters from Scotland Harry Potter The biggest phenomenon in 21st century children's fiction was brought to life in Scotland's capital city.

J K Rowling famously wrote the first of her Harry Potter books in a series of cafes in her adopted home of Edinburgh. Her stories of the bespectacled boy wizard and his adventures at Hogwarts' school have since become an incredible global success. The series has sold more than 450 million books in 67 languages, set records as the fastest-selling books in history and been turned into a series of big budget Hollywood movies which continue to break box office records. Toad of Toad Hall Despite being written more than a century ago, Kenneth Grahame's tale of the riverbank and the rich cast of animal characters that inhabit it is still much loved by children of all ages. The largest of life of all of these characters is without doubt the impulsive Mr Toad. Known for his love of fast cars and the sound of his own voice, Toad constantly gets into trouble, including being jailed, but always bounces back. Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's classic started out as a series of bedtime stories for his son Alastair.

Some have suggested 'The Wind in the Willows' was inspired by the Crinan Canal because Grahame spent some of his childhood in Ardrishaig, Argyll. Sherlock Holmes The world's best known detective Sherlock Holmes was created by Edinburgh born writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The character of Holmes was said to have been inspired by Dr Joseph Bell for whom Doyle had worked as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Famous for his logical reasoning and his use of forensic science skills to solve difficult cases, Holmes made his literary debut in 1887 and has grown in popularity ever since. The Guinness World Records has consistently listed Sherlock Holmes as the 'most portrayed movie character' with 75 actors playing the part in over 200 films. Peter Pan Scottish author and dramatist J.M. Barrie found international success and acclaim with his immortal - figuratively and literally - creation, Peter Pan. The enduring story of Peter, the boy who refuses to grow up, Wendy and the Lost Boys has enchanted both adults and children across the world.

First performed as a stage play in 1904, Disney's iconic feature-length animated cartoon brought the adventures of Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell to the big screen in 1953. Today, over 100 years after the play first debuted on the London stage and more than 70 years affter Barrie's death, Peter Pan still fires the imagination. The 2004 film 'Finding Neverland' turned the story of how Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan into a critically acclaimed movie starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. Long John Silver Stevenson's swashbuckling pirate villain Long John Silver is without doubt one of the most powerful and formidable characters in literature. Cunning, disloyal and a cold blooded murderer, Silver can also be extremely charismatic and is quick to inspire trust in those who meet him. He also seems to have a genuine fondness for the story's young protagonist Jim Hawkins and eventually becomes a father figure to the boy.

Stevenson's 1883 adventure novel 'Treasure Island' and the character of Long John Silver has greatly influenced today's popular perception of pirates - including treasure maps with an 'x', the Black Spot and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders. Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark’s much-loved 1961 novel introduced the world to the fascinating character of Jean Brodie, a schoolmistress at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh in the 1930s. The unconventional Miss Brodie, who has chosen to dedicate the prime of her life to the girls she teaches is one of the most complex characters in Scottish fiction. Both attractive and repellent at the same time, her passion for teaching is to be admired. However, as the story unfolds, her hold over her chosen group of pupils - her crème de la crème - becomes increasingly ominous. The character of Miss Jean Brodie brought international fame to Spark, who died in 2006 at the age of 88.

The book has been adapted for TV, stage and screen and includes a memorable 1969 performance by Maggie Smith who went on to win a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the eccentric teacher. Para Handy One of Scotland's best-loved literary creations, the Highland skipper and his exploits on the puffer boat known as the Vital Spark first came to public prominence in 1905. More than a hundred years later and the puffer boat's famous crew- skipper Captain Peter MacFarlane (aka Para Handy), engineer Dan MacPhail, Dougie the shipmate, Sunny Jim and The Tar – continue to captivate generations of fans with their antics. The characters were born from the imagination of Neil Munro, a journalist and writer from Inverary who came up with the idea to fill his weekly newspaper columns. Inspector Rebus Detective Inspector John Rebus was first introduced to the world in Ian Rankin's 1987 book 'Knots and Crosses', and has since gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in Scottish fiction. The former SAS operative turned hard-drinking detective is the focus of a series of detective novels that have sold millions of copies worldwide in 20 languages.

Rebus' daily investigations involve tackling Edinburgh's grim underbelly, introducing readers to an alternative side of the city that lies behind the normal tourist haunts. The celebrated maverick detective has been brought to life on screen by Scottish actors John Hannah and Ken Stott. Fife born Ian Rankin, a graduate of Edinburgh University, is one of Scotland's most commercially successful writers. He has received numerous crime-writing awards including America's celebrated Edgar Award for the book 'Resurrection Men'. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' met with immediate success when it was published in 1886, selling 40,000 copies in six months. Described by its writer Robert Louis Stevenson as a 'fine bogey tale', it tells the story of Dr Henry Jekyll, an outwardly respectable doctor who transforms himself into a savage murderer, Mr Edward Hyde. Stevenson's dark fable and its exploration of the duality of human nature has inspired hundreds of stage and film adaptations. This includes a 1947 Tom and Jerry film in which the mouse is transformed into a monster after drinking a saucer of milk spiked with bug powder!

Oor Wullie Ok, not generally regarded as a literary character as such but no list of top Scottish fictional characters would be complete without a reference to Oor Wullie. The spiky-haired, bucket-sitting comic strip hero first conceived over 50 years ago has a special place in the heart of Scots. The first Oor Wullie cartoon ran on 8 March 1936, in the newly launched "Fun Section" of the Scottish newspaper, the Sunday Post. Drawn by artist Dudley D Watkins in his trademark black dungarees and tackety boots, Wullie caught the imagination of young and old with his comedic misadventures. Still going strong to this day, the loveable tearaway is described in his annual Christmas compendium as 'Oor Wullie! Your Wullie!

A'body's Wullie!' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Essay - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark, Muriel - eNotes.com The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Essay - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark, Muriel link Link The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark The following entry presents criticism on Spark's novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961). For further information on her life and works, see CLC, Volumes 2, 3, 5, 8 and 18. One of Spark's best-known and most critically acclaimed works, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) centers on morality, manipulation, and betrayal at a school for girls in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the 1930s. Praised for its structural complexity, the novel juxtaposes past, present, and future events as well as fantasies as it documents the decline of the title character—the teacher Jean Brodie—and her effect on her students.

As Mary Schneider has stated: "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has long been recognized as a brilliantly woven novel, complex in its narrative techniques and themes." Plot and Major Characters The primary action of the novel takes place at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the 1930s and focuses on a small group of students, known as "the Brodie set," and their schoolmistress, Miss Jean Brodie. The story begins in 1936, when the girls are sixteen, but quickly flashes back to 1930, when the girls—then in the junior level—began their two year course of study under Brodie's tutelage. Spark utilizes flashbacks and flash-forwards throughout the novel. A domineering eccentric who admires the fascism of Benito Mussolini, Brodie attempts to exert control over her students' lives and fantasies and to mold their beliefs and aesthetic tastes. Although Brodie's affect on each of the girls varies, they remain a distinct clique at the school after they leave the junior level and move up through the senior level.

Sandy Stranger and Rose Stanley are the principal figures among the girls, and it is through them that Brodie attempts to carry on a vicarious romance with Teddy Lloyd, the school's art master. Although Brodie is in love with Lloyd, she renounces him because he is married. Brodie instead carries on an affair with Gordon Lowther, the school's singing master, but refuses to marry him. At this point in the story—when the flashbacks have caught up to the time when the novel formally began, in 1936—a new girl, Joyce Emily Hammond, arrives at the school and manages to befriend Brodie. At the same time, the Headmistress, Miss Mackay, is attempting and failing to have Brodie removed. Joyce eventually disappears; it is later learned that she was killed in Spain, where her brother is fighting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. During the summer of 1938, Brodie tours Germany, where her admiration for fascism increases. At the same time, Sandy has an affair with Lloyd—Brodie had intended for Rose to sleep with him. Lloyd, who is Catholic, introduces Sandy to Catholicism.

She later converts, becomes a nun, and writes a famous psychological treatise, "The Transfiguration of the Commonplace." After returning from Germany, Brodie tells Sandy that she encouraged Joyce to go to Spain and convinced her to switch her allegiance to the fascists. Horrified at Brodie's disregard for human life and individuality, Sandy relates the information to Miss Mackay, who forces Brodie's resignation. Brodie, who dies of cancer seven years later, spends the remainder of her life trying to figure out who betrayed her. Major Themes Major themes in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie include control and omniscience, Sandy's psychological development, and religion. The first theme centers on Brodie's attempts to influence the girl's actions and beliefs. Brodie tells the girls that they are an elite group—the "crème de la crème"—and she takes them into her confidence and tries to imbue them with her views on culture and life. As Dorothea Walker has stated, Brodie's "determination to broaden [the girls' knowledge] with her distorted version of reality suggests both her authoritarian nature and her desire to control.

Her greatest wish is really to reproduce clones of herself." Miss Brodie's admiration for fascism reinforces this theme, and Sandy, in her recollections of "the Brodie Set" and its emphasis on conformity, likens the girls to Mussolini's soldiers. This theme is also reflected in Spark's narrative style—a number of critics have compared her authorial control over the characters with Miss Brodie's totalitarian personality and fascist impulses. Margaret Moan Rowe has stated that "Spark deftly counterpoints authorial omniscience with Brodie's attempts at omniscience; all the author plans works, not so with the plans of the character in the novel." The novel's second theme shows Sandy's development from a young girl who hesitantly accepts Brodie's declarations, to a teenager who questions the limits of her loyalty to Brodie, to a cloistered nun. As a young girl Sandy is obsessed with understanding Brodie's psychology. However, as Sandy matures, her fascination with Brodie gives way to the realization of her moral obligation to the welfare of others and compels her to put an end to Brodie's tenure at the school, thus preventing her from influencing another set of impressionable girls.

Spark's characters rarely, however, act from a single motive, and the author suggests that Sandy's impulse to act against Brodie is also tinged with jealousy. The novel's third theme centers on Roman Catholicism. Brodie abhors Catholicism and tells her students that it is a religion for those who do not wish to think for themselves. In authorial commentary, Spark notes that this is an odd view for someone such as Brodie and suggests that Brodie was best suited to the Roman Catholic church, which might have refined her excesses. Sandy's conversion to Catholicism owes to her affair with Lloyd and the influence of Brodie. Commenting on Sandy's conversion and Brodie's role in it, Walker has stated that "Spark appears to be saying that out of evil may come good, in that evil might be refined and tempered into good. To a believer like Spark, the tempering agent is Roman Catholicism." Critical Reception Most critics consider The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to be Spark's finest novel. Commentators have noted its thematic richness as well as its technical achievements, particularly Spark's handling of time through flashbacks and flash-forwards. Others have remarked on Spark's writing and narrative organization, praising it as concise and economical.

Rowe has written that "Nothing is wasted in [The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie], which is so much about a waste of human energy." Although many scholars consider the novel to be primarily a character study centered on Sandy and Miss Brodie, others have argued that the novel's focus is metafictional. Gerry S. Laffin, for instance, has suggested that "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a parable, and a highly autobiographical one, of the artist as a young girl. Further, it seems that in this novel at least, Mrs. Spark believes that any creator of fiction who claims to be a truth-teller is being absurdly, even dangerously, pretentious." More Content: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark, Muriel (hide) Noted storyteller steps into shoes of 'Miss Jean Brodie' - Skokie Review Noted storyteller steps into shoes of 'Miss Jean Brodie' Madkap Productions Madkap Productions Megan Wells (center) portrays the title character in MadKap Productions’ version of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” at the Skokie Theatre.

Megan Wells (center) portrays the title character in MadKap Productions’ version of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” at the Skokie Theatre. (Madkap Productions) Myrna Petlicki Pioneer Press Jean Brodie is not your run-of-the-mill teacher. She has a unique way of interacting with her students at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in 1930's Scotland. Some of the topics she shares with her students would not be found on any standard curriculum. You'll meet the eccentric, exciting educator when MadKap Productions presents "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," April 22-May 8 at the Skokie Theatre. Wayne Mell directs Jay Presson Allen's 1966 play based on Muriel Spark's 1961 novel. Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the title character in the 1969 film. "Everybody's got this idea of Jean Brodie as this free spirit, unconventional teacher who tries to buck the system," Mell said. "That was a very '60s kind of message — anti-establishment, do your own thing, think outside the box.

But there really is this very dark undertone to this story that deals in issues like fascism and inappropriate conduct towards young girls from authority figures that is much more relevant in today's world than it was back in the '60s." Mell chose Megan Wells for the title role because, "Megan is magnificent. Very few people have a love of literature and the romantic as Megan does," he said. Wells is a critically-acclaimed actor, director and storyteller who has performed her one-person adaptations of "Dracula" and "The Great Gatsby" at the Skokie Theatre. She was excited to be cast in this role. "My very first performance as a Chicago actress was as Sandy (a student) in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,'" Wells revealed. That was 26 years ago. Taking the lead role gives her "this bookend feeling to be on both sides of the play." Wells described Jean Brodie as "gifted and wounded in equal measure. Like many charismatic personalities, there's a risk for narcissism unless you're very grounded — and she lost her primary love in the war. So she becomes amplified — more theatrical.

The play captures the time when this wounded flamboyancy goes too far." Director Mell promised, "We're going to go on a journey with this woman. We're going to fall in love with her and we're going to watch it crumble." "Will she rise above it and learn?" Wells pondered. "It's possible that Brodie might become somebody else after this. I like to leave that hope in the audience because I think we all need hope for ourselves." Although the play tackles some serious topics, Wells emphasized, "It's perfect for American audiences because it's so funny." MadKap Productions presents, 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' When: April 22-May 8 Where: Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie Tickets: $34; $28 seniors; $24 students Information: (847) 677-7761; The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Everything2.com The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by O-Swirl Thu Nov 01 2001 at 14:44:24 A classic book by Muriel Spark about a unique teacher , published in 1961 .

The setting is Edinburgh , Scotland and Miss Brodie is a teacher in her " prime ," at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls . The group of girls closest to her are examined through the course of the novel. They all wear uniforms , but each wear their hats a little different in correlation with their distinct personalities. The future of each girl is suggested early in the novel, foreshadowing the interesting story to come. One girl will die in a fire at a young age, and one girl will be " famous for sex " in her not-too-distant future. One girl will betray Miss Brodie. Jean Brodie introduces the girls to new and often absurd ideas about life. While her control over the youths fades as they age, her impression never really disappears. Since I loved the book so much, I rented the film version, but was somewhat disappointed with it. Other books by Muriel Spark include: Mon Jul 12 2010 at 20:19:55 "There was a Miss Jean Brodie in her prime." The Novel Muriel Spark 's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie first appeared in the pages of The New Yorker , and then as a book in 1961.

The short novel has received extensive critical praise-- Time considers it one of the best hundred books written in English in the twentieth century —inspired a play, an Oscar-winning film, and a television series, and established the bright but deeply flawed Scottish schoolteacher as one of the most memorable characters in recent literature. The first chapter begins in 1937 , when the Brodie Set, Miss Jean's special girls, are sixteen . A new girl, a rebellious transfer student, vies to become part of their group. The death of this relatively minor character will have significant effects. Although older and no longer in her class at conservative Marcia Blaine School, the girls continue their friendship with each other and their former teacher. The chapter then flashes back six years, to an early encounter between the girls and Miss Brodie, and then forward seven years, to events that transpire long after one of her favourites "betrays" her. The novel continues in this manner, shifting time and place. Most of the story occurs during the years the girls study at the elite private school, but we see glimpses of their lives into the 1950s .

The girls of the last Brodie Set have been cultivated by their teacher since the age of eight or nine. Brodie, an eccentric romantic , teaches material outside of the regular curriculum, so that her girls have heard of " Mussolini , the Italian Renaissance painters . . . and the word ' menarche .'" She inculcates a dislike of the school "team spirit" and the Girl Guides , yet she praises the European fascists and insists on order, her idea of order. She encourages the search for truth yet lies and spins stories about her own life; she espouses vaguely Bohemian ideals of art and Progressive ideas of education but insists on conventional decorum. She insists she can make her girls hers "for life" and continually directs them, as though they were actors in her play. One of her students, Sandy, later connects Miss Jean with the Calvinist God . The novel notes that many women like her existed in the 1930s , but few taught at traditional private schools, and this fact, more than any other, leads to scandal . Spoilers. You may want to skip ahead to the section on the film.

For much of the novel, Miss Brodie finds her main opponent in the dowdy headmistress, Miss Mackay, who encourages Jean to apply at a more progressive school, and plots to remove her from Blaine. Brodie openly discusses these "plots" with her special girls. The Set includes the clever Monica Douglas, sensual Rose Stanley, athletic Eunice Gardiner, awkward Mary MacGregor, and insightful, imaginative Sandy Stranger and Jenny Gray. The transfer student, Joyce Emily Hammond, does not really penetrate the set before she meets her untimely end. Jean Brodie romanticizes her past involvement with a younger man , Hugh, who died in The Great War . At Blaine, she becomes involved with two men, the married art teacher, Teddy Lloyd, and the reliable musician, Gordon Lowther. While still children, Sandy and Jenny compose love letters, romantic tales, and even police procedurals around their teacher. Years later, Jean will attempt to set one of these girls up as Lloyd's mistress, in her own place. Miss McKay attempts to use the rumours of sexual impropriety to eliminate Miss Brodie. She does not succeed.

Only later, after the death of Joyce Emily Hammond, does a disenchanted Brodie Girl suggest that McKay use Brodie's political leanings against her. Fascism, Romanticism's darkest extension, has a hold on Brodie, and she has been imparting her naïve understanding of the movement to the girls. That same student, years later, will acknowledge that, despite her flaws, Brodie had positive as well as negative influences on her life. By then, the teacher has died, a broken woman who always wondered which of her students betrayed her. The novel does an excellent job of character: in particular, the complex personality of Miss Jean Brodie. Spark describes the world and its people with deft, thoughtful prose. She handles the fragmented time-structure effectively, often through the use of repetition. which may irk some readers. The approach allows us to see the characters and events as their thoughts and actions resonate through time. The Film "Sandy, please try to do as I say and not as I do.

Remember, you are a child, Sandy, and far from your prime." Although the novel achieved considerable popularity, many more people encountered Miss Jean Brodie in the 1969 film, itself heavily adapted from a 1968 stage version (the original starred Vanessa Redgrave ). Both feature a linear time structure, and reduce the number of Brodie girls. Instead of the middle-aged spinster who can recall an affair, in 1914 , with a younger soldier, she is perhaps thirty at the start of the film and in 1914 much younger than her ill-fated lover. The film also gives us a less complex Miss Brodie, something more of a caricature, though a memorable one. Maggie Smith won the Academy Award for best actress, and she carries the film for many viewers. Her Brodie, at once compelling and ridiculous, clearly communicates why the girls would be drawn to her, and why the Headmistress would find her dangerous. The film does a remarkable job of bringing the Brodie Set— the actors were in their late teens and early twenties— from age twelve to seventeen.

Pamela Franklin is a revelation as Sandy, transforming from a curious, pubescent child in oversized glasses to a forthright seventeen year old who has an affair with a middle-aged man—which she ends, rather coldly, when she realizes he remains far more interested in her teacher. The director cast talented (and tiny) actresses to help with the illusion of growth and development. The film also employs a number of physical effects, including carefully framed shots, and specially-constructed desks and costumes. Other strong performances mark the film. Robert Stephens manages to be both offensive and fascinating as Lloyd. Ann Way plays the Headmistress's secretary and toady , Gaunt, investing her fleeting appearances with a subtle repulsiveness. Spoilers Again The strong, largely comic performances help carry a somewhat dialogue-heavy script marked by both a slow pace and some dramatic excesses. If the writers have simplified the source, they have also heightened certain scenes for the camera and the mass audience. Rather than a minor, otherwise inconsequential character heading off to the Spanish Civil War to die, one of the key Brodie Girls does so. The change better serves to draw the audience into the event. The screenplay also adds an ironic twist to her death .

This particular change doubtless spoke to the audiences of 1969, and the American involvement in Vietnam . The film reveals nothing of the characters' futures. It finishes with the school term—and Miss Brodie's cries of, "Assassin!" (which do not appear in the original novel) as her Judas walks calmly off. Despite some excesses, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie holds up quite well, decades later, for its strong performances, excellent recreation of 1930s Edinborough , and flawed, fascinating protagonist. Directed by Ronald Neame Roses are Red The film's theme song, "Jean," written by Rod McKuen, became a major hit in 1969. Both McKuen and pop star Oliver (William Swofford) released versions. Although the music suits the tone of the film, the syrupy lyrics seem to describe an entirely different Jean or, perhaps, a much younger version of the character. The movie, wisely, features only the tune. The novel also became a short-run British television series in 1978 .

Geraldine McEwan as Jean Brodie presides over a class containing girls from the novel and other, original characters Carpe Diem Tom Schulman won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with Dead Poets Society , but the claim, at least, of originality, must be challenged. The film takes the plot of the Brodie film, switches gender, glorifies the central character, and moves the setting to late 1950s Vermont . It would be difficult to miss the similarities. Both take place at elite, single-sex private schools. Both feature an unconventional teacher as protagonist , one who incurs the antagonism of an old-fashioned administrator. Both teachers are Romantics who denigrate the traditional curriculum and methodology. Each opens new worlds for the students but, arguably, leaves them without the tools to negotiate those worlds. Both experience scandal when a student dies. Both cultivate a small set of followers, one of whom betrays the instructor. The difference, of course, is that Prime examines Miss Brodie and her failings. Dead Poets Society fails to recognize any moral complexity or shortcomings in its central character. Miss Brodie has admirable characteristics, but substantial flaws that lead to tragedy .

Dead Poets presents John Keating as a hero, whose fall results entirely from the forces of repression and tradition. Robin Williams 's Keating will entertain you, and perhaps inculcate an interest in reading, which I applaud. Jean Brodie, however, appears in a work made of stronger, more thought-provoking material. Of course, both are works of fiction-- and, as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie reminds us, it can be dangerous to mistake fantasies and clever fabrications for reality. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Literature) - TV Tropes The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Literature / The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie × WMG "Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life..." Published in 1961, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is probably Muriel Spark's best known novel. Set in Edinburgh's conservative Marcia Blaine School in the 1930s, it deals with the rebellious schoolteacher Miss Brodie and her 'set': whose futures and loyalties she seeks to control along Calvinistic and increasingly Fascist lines.

This is put against Brodie's two romances: Mr. Lowther, Marcia Blaine's singing master: a church elder and bachelor, and Mr. Lloyd, the school's art master: a married Roman Catholic with several children, and the attempts of the school's headmistress, Miss Mackay, to remove Brodie from her post. The novel has been adapted into a play, a film, and a mini-series. The best-known is probably the film of 1969, which starred Maggie Smith . She won an Oscar for her performance as Jean Brodie. The screenplay for the film stays fairly true to the spirit of the novel, but still changes quite a lot. Most noticeably, it prunes a few characters, reducing the set from six to four and combining the ill-fated new girl Joyce Emily Hammond with the dim-witted Mary MacGregor, and gets rid of the novel's use of prolepsis and flashback in favour of condensing the novel's later incidents into single scenes and by not mentioning the post-school fates of the girls. The novel provides examples of: Ambiguously Gay : Sandy at times thinks Jean might be a lesbian, since she doesn't marry Mr Lowther.

Anachronic Order : The story is told in flashback. As the events at Marcia Blaine progress linearly, the fates of the Brodie Set are revealed before the ending. Assimilation Academy : Marcia Blaine School is an interesting example as its conservatism is somewhat diminished in the face of Brodie's fascism. This is played up in the film: where the grey uniforms and interiors of Marcia Blaine are contrasted with Brodie's colourful outfits. Broken Pedestal : Miss Brodie certainly becomes this by the end, although it is questionable whether Sandy's perception of her has simply changed due to age and circumstance. Cool Teacher : Played with. Miss Brodie definitely motivates her pupils to learn beyond the curriculum, and thumbs her nose at school authorities, but her impact on her pupils is questionable. Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass : Discussed. At one point Jean considers that Mary McGregor was the one who betrayed her, after years of being their scapegoat. A few of them say "I should have been nicer to Mary." Deceptive Disciple : Sandy. Even after betraying Miss Brodie, she still keeps in contact with her. Deconstruction : Of the Blithe Spirit Cool Teacher character.

Miss Brodie's students all have their lives wrecked due to her influence, and she has no remorse about it. The Ditz : Poor Mary McGregor. Dogged Nice Guy : Devoted, somewhat naive Mr Lowther who tries for years to convince his lover Miss Brodie to marry him (unaware that she sees him as unsatisfactory substitute for Teddy Lloyd). He avoids becoming a complete sucker by finally dropping her and becoming engaged to the chemistry teacher. Double Think : Jean, in regards to her behaviour with Mr. Lowther, and her hopes for Jenny and Mr. Lloyd Downer Ending : One of the girls has died, Jean Brodie is fired from the school and all her pupils have their lives wrecked due to her influence. She goes her whole life never knowing who betrayed her; only on her deathbed does she consider that it could have been Sandy. Et Tu, Brute? : The narration actually compares Brodie to Caesar. Fiery Redhead : Jean Brodie. Averted with Jenny, a pretty but unremarkable favorite of Miss Brodie who deludes herself into thinking that Jenny is "primitive and free." Fascist Italy : Where Miss Brodie takes her summer holidays.

Foreshadowing : In a chemistry lesson, Mary gets scared and runs around from flame to flame. This foreshadows her eventual death in a hotel fire where she can't find her way out - at the age of twenty-four. Girl Posse : Miss Brodie and her select girls, whom she calls la creme de la creme. Glorious Leader : Played with in various ways. Deliberate parallels can be drawn between her and big political examples of this trope. Also, although some of her motivations are selfish and destructive, some are genuinely naive. Gossipy Hens : The other female teachers at Marcia Blaine are not fond of Miss Brodie and her exploits. Hot Teacher : Mr. Lowther and Mr. Lloyd certainly seem to think so. Mr. Lloyd himself falls into this trope, with several of the girls swooning over him. Mr Lowther gets some of this as well, with Sandy and Jenny having a couple of sexual fantasies about him. New Transfer Student : Joyce Emily Hammond Not So Different : Miss Brodie and her nemesis Sandy are both rigid and judgmental. Not What It Looks Like : Jean assumes that Teddy is painting Rose because they will soon begin an affair.

Teddy merely finds Rose a good model, and she only poses because she needs the money. One-Gender School : As such, the girls fantasise about the two male teachers rather than students. Romantic Runner-Up : Miss Brodie puts Mr. Lowther in this role, she doesn't love him, but plans to marry him anyway. Later, Mr. Lowther puts Miss Lockhart in this role. Sarcastic Devotee : Sandy becomes this by the end Taking the Veil : Sandy converts to Catholicism and becomes a nun. Teacher/Student Romance : What Miss Brodie plans for one of her girls and Teddy Lloyd. Fulfilled, but not as planned. Teacher's Pet : All the Brodie set really. Sandy initially conforms to this trope; but moves sharply away from it. Joyce Emily fits this in later episodes; heck, she even dies trying to curry Brodie's favour. Transfer Student Uniforms : This singles-out Joyce Emily Hammond.

Those Wacky Nazis : It can be a little odd to modern viewers/readers for how much Jean Brodie is into Fascism, as the story is set in a time when the political philosophy was somewhat romanticized by some members of the intelligentsia, and before it was so closely associated with brutal dictatorships and mass genocide Treacherous Advisor : Since many of Miss Brodie's ambitions for her pupils, especially Rose/Jenny, simply involve using them to vicariously fulfil her own psychological needs, she could easily be seen as this trope. Turn Coat : Miss McKay longs for one of Miss Brodie's girls to fill this role The 1969 film provides examples of: Adaptation Explanation Extrication : Miss Brodie says to Sandy of Teddy "you know his religion" as a way to discourage her. This makes more sense in the book, which emphasises the school's Calvinist teachings. Part of Sandy's attraction to Teddy is because he's Roman Catholic and she eventually converts to become a nun herself. In the film, these elements are downplayed. Male example - Jean Brodie's two suitors are the kind and down-to-earth Gordon Lowther (Betty) and the sexy artist Teddy Lloyd (Veronica).

Jean herself is the Veronica to Sandy's Betty, where Teddy Lloyd is concerned. Beware the Quiet Ones : Miss Brodie fatally underestimates Sandy, seeing her mainly as a dependable spy. Broken Bird : Sandy becomes broken and cynical as a result of Teddy painting Jean's face on her body, Mary getting killed and finally realising what kind of person Jean really is. Brutal Honesty : Teddy Lloyd, when he tells Miss Brodie that she is a frustrated schoolmarm with dangerous delusions of grandeur. He is also brutally honest about himself when he calls himself a second rate artist. Sandy who tells Teddy that he is an aging mediocre painter. She also calls the deceased Mary McGregor "stupid." And, of course, she also calls out Miss Brodie on her romantic delusions. The Bully : Sandy and the other Brodie girls initially bully Mary behind Miss Brodie's back. However, after Mary tells them she has seen Miss Brodie and Teddy Lloyd kissing, she is fully accepted by them. Composite Character : The film removes Joyce and Rose, giving their storylines to Mary and Jenny. Monica is also merged with Eunice. Mary meanwhile gets to be the one who sees Jean and Teddy kissing instead of Monica.

Miss Gaunt becomes combined with the Kerr sisters, who investigate Miss Brodie against her will. As does Miss Lockhart, taking the Kerr sisters' roles as the one who doesn't disapprove of Miss Brodie. Deadpan Snarker : Miss Brodie, Teddy Lloyd and Sandy all have a knack for devastating put downs. Dean Bitterman : Downplayed. Miss McKay is strict, unimaginative and fixated on duty. She is also correct about Miss Brodie's recklessness, however, and the harm it ultimately causes. Expository Hairstyle Change : Sandy has bobbed hair at the start of the film. As she gets older and wiser, her hair grows longer. It's past shoulder-length by the end. Fiery Redhead : Jean Brodie - red haired and determined. She's quite quick to fire up at the headmistress. Averted with Jenny, a pretty but unremarkable favorite of Miss Brodie who ludicrously describes her as "primitive and free." Four-Girl Ensemble : With the set down to four girls in the film, they fall into these roles initially. Mary is the childish one, Jenny the pretty one, Monica the mannish one and Sandy the wise one.

But eventually Mary's naivete gets her killed, Jenny doesn't become a great lover as Miss Brodie predicted and Sandy has an affair with Teddy and betrays Miss Brodie. Full-Name Basis : Mary McGregor is usually referred to by her full name, especially by Jean Brodie. Lampshaded by Sandy when she tells Miss Brodie that this was probably because she had trouble remembering who Mary was. Girlish Pigtails : Sweet and naive Mary has her hair always in pigtails. The Ghost : Mary's delinquent brother who never appears on-screen. He provides motivation for Mary to run off to Spain and eventually get killed. Teddy Lloyd's wife Deirdre. She appears in the book, where Sandy has tea at her house, but is offscreen in the film. Having a Gay Old Time : An in-universe example. The Brodie girls (except for naive Mary) break down laughing at the words "the curse" in the Tennyson poem "The Lady of Shallot." Possibly inverted with modern viewers who may not know "the curse" is a dated euphemism for menstruation. Heelï¿½Face Door-Slam : An almost literal example.

Sandy runs to Jean's house with news of Mary's death and bangs frantically on the door. Jean, who had been in the shower, does not hear her and Sandy is gone by the time she comes to the door. This serves as the final time Sandy goes to Jean for help, and she betrays her shortly afterwards. Heroic B.S.O.D. : This happens to Miss Brodie. Reality and circumstance begin to break down Jean's carefully-constructed and tightly-held romantic delusions, causing her to come to a psychological breaking point and dissolve into tears in front of her class - Jenny, who is Dante Gabriel Rossetti? Who is Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Jenny!?...Clara. High-School Dance : Featuring a gramophone, a punch bowl, dozens of senior girls in white dresses, beige stockings and black heels, but no males except for a handful of male teachers. Hufflepuff House : With the Brodie Set down to four girls, Sandy has her place as Jean's most trusted girl, Jenny is the one to be painted by Teddy, Mary is The Woobie who gets killed and Monica has no role whatsoever. Possibly for this reason, Jean first assumes that Monica is the one who betrayed her.

Intimate Open Shirt : Teddy Lloyd wears his shirt like this in his studio where he paints Jean, and later has an affair with Sandy. Lighter and Softer : The character Jean Brodie is somewhat toned down compared to how she was in the novel. In the book she continually bullies Mary and is a fan of Hitler as as well as Mussolini. Lonely Rich Kid : The wealthy orphan Mary McGregor. The other girls are in shock when they hear how much money she gets from the bank. My God, What Have I Done? : The ending shot shows Sandy walking down the street, tears slowly falling down her face. It implies she knows that betraying Jean was a Necessary Evil , but she still feels guilt over it. Not So Different : Miss Brodie and her nemesis Sandy are both rigid and judgmental. Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping : Pamela Franklin's Scottish accent slips in her climactic scene with Jean. Especially the line "you professed to be a great admirer of conquerors".

The Dangers of Social Conformity Exposed in The Prime of Miss Jean Brod The Dangers of Social Conformity Exposed in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie depicts the coming of age of six adolescent girls in Edinburgh, Scotland during the 1930's. The story brings us into the classroom of Miss Jean Brodie, a fascist school teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, and gives close encounter with the social and political climate in Europe during the era surrounding the second World War. Spark's novel is a narrative relating to us the complexities of politics and of social conformity, as well as of non-conformity. Through looking at the Brodie set and the reciprocities between these students and their teacher, the writer, in this novel, reviews the essence of group dynamics and brings in to focus the adverse effects that the power of authority over the masses can produce. Sparks, in so doing projects her skepticism toward the teacher's ideologies. This skepticism is played out through the persona of Sandy Stranger, who becomes the central character in a class of Marcia Blaine school girls.

Sandy's character is even more focally sculpted than the teacher's favored disciples who came to be known as the Brodie Set; a small group of girls favored by Miss Jean Brodie in her Prime. The Brodie Set is a social system and a enigmatic network of social relations that acts to draw the behavior of its members toward the core values of the clique. The teacher Miss Jean Brodie projects upon this impressionable "set," her strong fascist opinions. She controls this group on the basis that she is in her prime. Her prime being the point in life when she is at the height of wisdom and insight. Sandy pejoratively uses the personality traits and ideolog... ... middle of paper ... ...t this small group level, conformity dispels individual judgement. Sandy projects to us that this kind of social conformity under the pressure of authority, is to be blamed for many social problems and adversities in the individual lives of the Brodie girls, and in society at large. Bibliography 1. Coon, Dennis. Psychology: Exploration and Application. West Publishing Company: 1980. 2. Costanzo, P. Conformity development as a function of self blame.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 14; 366-374: 1970. 3. Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Larson, R. Being Adolescent. Harper Collins Publisher: 1984. 4. Homans, G.C. Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: 1961. 5. Lodge, David. The Uses and Abuses of Omniscience: Method and Meaning in Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Ithaca, Cornell: 1971. Click the button above to view the complete essay, speech, term paper, or research paper Click the button above to view the complete essay, speech, term paper, or research paper

Question: In a 1961 novel, which title character taught at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls?
Answer: Miss Jean Brodie